This is an original story which involves self-inserts (from CI and elsewhere) and OCs as characters. If you wanna be a character, send me a PM! (bearing in mind that all major roles have been filled). If you've read my "Chao Island! Adventure" story, you'll find elements of it here too. Don't worry, I promise it won't be the same thing all over again!

CHAPTER 1 - COLD FLASH

Cold flash. Warm heart. Somehow, a lost girl felt like her world was falling apart. Something very strange was happening. But she couldn't feel a thing. Everything was voided out, black.
Her vision fogged as her body began to adjust to her new surroundings. It was cold. Memories... wiped... but a name came back to her.

"M..." A voice in her mind echoed. "M-Mi..." It continued.

"M-Mint, It's me! That's my name! Mint. Wake up! Wake up, now!"

Gasping for air, Mint awoke with a flash of cold. She had been lying in the snow for some time now, and she was shivering to no end, though strangely her body showed no signs of numbness. She arose from the soft, icy ground beneath her to inspect her surroundings. Gentle snowflakes fluttered down from a rosy-lavender sky. Aurora ribboned through the stratosphere in colours of the whole spectrum, creating a very pretty scene. With her silvery blue eyes she looked on to see tall, round mountains mapping out the horizon. Upon closer inspection, she could see that she herself was residing on a mountain, and would need to make her way down soon if she wanted any chance of finding civilisation. Tucking her shoulder-length blonde hair back into her sky blue hoodie, she kicked the snow off her pink sneakers and began her way down the mountain.

There was no time to lose, and Mint had a strange surge of excitement as she descended the Frozen Heights. Her spirits were high despite all the bewilderment and questions rotating around her confused mind. Nonetheless, there was something strangely nostalgic and childish about skidding down ice slopes, hugging the icy walls close to her chest and passing by numerous penguins as she carried on with her descent. Mint was a rather fast girl and in a short amount of time, she was already seeing pine trees rush past her on her route downwards. The cold air was biting but oddly refreshing against her abnormally warm skin. Her breath was warm and her blood rushed to her cheeks and nose, tinting them a rosy red. She had an odd feeling that she was going to be okay.

Mint must've been halfway down the mountain when she was forced to skid to a halt; an iceberg was in the way! Her rashness and overconfidence caused her to slam into the large chunk, but it didn't move at all. She looked around - in front of her was the oversized ice cube, behind her was the path she'd just taken, to her left was the mountain face, and to her right was a huge drop. She panicked. What was she to do? She couldn't just give up now. There was no way she could scale the sheer cliff - that was much too dangerous! There were no alternate pathways she could've taken. No option was plausible.

With sheer resentment and desperation she decided to push the lodged iceberg with her bare hands. This obviously amounted to nothing. But she kept trying anyway. Oddly enough, after a few seconds steam started to appear from the iceberg where her index and middle fingers were. Quickly, she removed her hands from the cold mass. Was she becoming delusional? She did wake up amnesic knowing nothing but her own name. But this couldn't be a dream - could it? It felt all too real. She tried pinching herself. Nothing. This was crazy. She tried pushing the iceberg again, and steam started to arise from the iceberg. She kept pushing. Ice turned to cold water and splashed all over her hot hands, then evaporated. Removing her hands away from the iceberg for a second time, she saw that small embers were lit at the tips of her index and middle fingers. She blinked. Yep, she was definitely crazy. But she had a crazy idea, too...

She made pistol shaped with her two hands and concentrated hard on the iceberg. She imagined it going up in flames. Suddenly, the embers at her fingertips danced and grew, becoming more red, orange, yellow, more vibrant. They snapped, sparkled and lit up - like small fireworks. Swiftly, the sparks grew into fireballs and launched at the iceberg. Mint could hardly believe her eyes...! But she kept concentrating; she couldn't risk losing her streak. More and more fireballs erupted from her fingertips, causing the iceberg to melt. With all her her minds power, she put her blazing palms together to form one giant ember. It grew quicker than the ones before, dancing feverishly and sparking wildly. With a loud scream, Mint released the fireball, launching it onto the iceberg, causing it to collapse and melt like butter. Astounded and with a pounding headache, Mint smiled and stumbled her way across her slushy former antagonist.

The rest of the mountain was a cakewalk. The snow was thinner, the snowfall becoming less intense, and the increasing volume of pine trees made for more things to grab onto. Her pace was considerably slower and her body was colder - she was still physically and mentally recovering from her newfound fiery ability. But her efforts were rewarded when after a few minutes, she reached the base of the mountain. A small, colourful town lined with windmills was in the near distance. She breathed a sigh of relief. But she had questions. Lots of them.
____

hope you enjoyed! CC / feedback very much appreciated

Last edited by mintdrop on Sat Jun 04, 2016 4:47 pm, edited 4 times in total.

@twid aah thank you! i'll try and liven this subforum up again.
@eboy yeah that's fair enough, i'm usually an ice / fairy type person. but i thought i'd change it up a bit this time around!! and thank you!

Mint approached the small town and suddenly felt very homely and nostalgic. Reading a wooden sign near to the ice-covered trellis entrance, she discovered that it was called Frosting. This was a very accurate description; as everything stationary, be it a red house, yellow shop, green or blue station, was covered in a perfectly even layer of snow, save for a few icicles dripping down the brick faces of the buildings. The only things that weren't frosted with snow were the blades of the revolving windmill blades. A star-shaped stone pond resided in the middle of the town square, with a statue of a very lifelike girl spouting water from the palms of her hands residing in it, acting as a fountain. Teal streetlights a few feet higher than Mint (who resided at a small 5'4") lined the streets of the small nostalgic town, illuminating it with their perfectly spherical bulbs, bathing the evening streets with warm luminosity. Mint couldn't help but think that the town would look pretty at night. She walked along the smooth cobbled streets and entered a shop to find her bearings.

She entered the small drugstore to lock eyes with a very endearing shopkeeper who grinned daringly at her, making her flush red in the face. There was no one else in the shop. Since she wasn't intending to buy anything, she sheepishly walked right up to her and opened her mouth to ask for directions.

"H-" Mint started, but was cut off.

"You aren't from around here, are you?" the shopkeeper said through a giggle. "It's written all over your face."

"Um, yeah," Mint replied, slightly embarrassed. Was she really that different? "I was hoping to ask for directions, actually..."

"Directions?!" The shopkeeper mock-gasped. "You think you can march in here, not buy ANYTHING, and simply ask for directions?! Wow, I am hurt. You won't even look at my wares?!"

Mint blinked. "Uh, well, I guess I could-" She started.

"Nah, I'm just messing around. It's fine, it's fine." The shopkeeper said, chuckling. Her deep brown eyes seemed to flash as she did a small wink. "Did you fall over, or something? You have snow all over you."

"Oh, this?" Mint started as she brushed the snow on the sky blue hoodie off onto the pink-tiled floor of the drugstore. "Well, actually I... this is going to sound stupid, but I woke up on the top of that mountain over there," Mint pointed north out of the window. "And I have no idea who, or where I am, and I climbed down from the summit... and, uh, yeah. All I know is that my name is Mint."

The shopkeeper blinked, taken aback. "Wow, that's quite a story. I'm sorry, that sounds pretty rough. To be honest, this world has been in a havoc recently." She said, still in a cheery tone. "The world has been split apart into different zones, by some crazy evil lady. She's deployed weird robots in each zone to make sure that no-one can re-align them. No-one knows why or how she's done it, but everyone's tried to resume life normally, though it's pretty tough. The zone we're in now is called Snowy Vale; there are others but I don't really remember the names or how many there are. And yeah."

Mint was taken aback by all of this exposition. Split into... zones... like... a jigsaw? She thought. And those weird fireballs she managed to summon, that left her with an awful headache... was this all connected? She rubbed her head.

"Hey," The shopkeeper started, flicking back her long dark umber hair behind her and smiling. "Take this. Free of charge." She wielded a large, pink mallet for Mint to hold. "You never know when you might run into trouble these days, with all of these robots running around. Besides, you seem like a... quirky girl." She took it, dumbfounded. "Oh, and I'm Katie by the way."

Mint thanked her and left the store. Night had fallen, and the town was illuminated by hundreds of twinkling streetlights. It made her smile. She ambled towards the fountain at the centre of the town. The stone statue glimmered silver under the icy water that erupted from its palms. She stared at it for a while, as the night went by. She had a lot to process.Snowy Vale... Snowy Vale... somehow the name seemed familiar. Who would want to separate the world into zones, anyway? And why did she have no memory?

She walked along the street a bit, as the people in the town centre started to go home. The crescent moon was high in the sky, beaming down pure white light onto her skin. She was lonely, all of a sudden. Her head fell downward as her happiness plummeted. In this she noticed a small, silver coin on the ground. She picked it up, and knowing that she had nothing better to do with it; into the fountain it went. As she looked up she could've sworn the statue's silvery eyes sparkle a little bit. But she shrugged it off.

But suddenly, there was a crash from afar. Sirens sounded and echoed closer and closer. Mint panicked as she saw a strange machine boosting towards her from the far end of the road. It came closer, and closer. The angry robot dashed swiftly above her head, barely missing her. She thought it was all over, but ducked when the robot swerved back into her. Alarmed into a frightful frenzy, Mint retrieved the hammer she got from Katie earlier. Time to put it to good use!

It was coming for her? Why?! Mint didn't have time to think as she dodged and jumped out of the raging robot's way. it moved so fast, it was hard to tell what it looked like - but from her blurry glances, she noticed strange rabbit ears protruding from their metallic frame. It was coloured a deep metallic crimson that reflected the soft moonlight as a harsh white. Through all of the commotion, Mint swung her hammer but to no avail - she couldn't land a single hit.

The robot stopped suddenly. Mint was about to get a clearer view of it, when - BLAM! It started quickfiring lasers at her feet! Mint screaming and jumped at the robot, but it kept firing relentlessly, threatening to shoot her further up.

"What do you want from me?!" She shrieked, circling the enraged machine as she tried to escape its harsh blasts of energy.

"MODE: TERMINATION. ALL ENEMIES TO THE CREATOR MUST BE DESTROYED." The robot stated in a cold, beeping tone, stopping for a moment. Using this change of pace to her advantage, Mint landed one single hit onto her self-proclaimed enemy. It dropped its head down, and Mint thought she had one. Gratification filled her heart and lungs. But it swiftly drained out of her as the robot rose its strange metallic head again, its red eyes burning with rage into her soul. It took out its laser again.

"ENOUGH." Said a voice from behind. A cannon of water blasted straight through the robot, causing it to explode.

Mint slowly turned around, her thoughts running spirals around her head. What on earth... the statue was alive?! The silver statue, with long flowing hair behind her looked directly at her.

"Mint. I am Starmy, the town statue. It is part of your destiny to save this world from tyranny and further destruction." She spoke, calmly and softly, as if the stars were behind her every breath. "You will need to team up with four other children - each in a different zone - and unite the zones together once more." Her now cosmic blue eyes twinkled as she spoke.

"Ah... okay..." Mint replied, confused but dazzled by the statue's grace. "Thank you for saving me... but... why are you telling me this?"

The statue smiled and her eyes glimmered. "You offered me a gift and reflected your thoughts upon my pond. I respect people who do that." She said gracefully. "Now, Mint, you must go to Icefall Cave, east of here. There you will be able to teleport to the next zone and meet your friends. You have been chosen. I wish you luck."

Mint opened her mouth to say something, but as if it had never happened the statue was back in the pond once more, stone-still with ice-cold water coming out of her palms.

Last edited by mintdrop on Sat Jun 04, 2016 4:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Good job, Mints! I really like how this story is turning out so far, and I think that your writing style has developed a lot since you first started writing these. Overall, this entire thing just seems really adorable and interesting!

@eboy aha hopefully that's a good thing?
@cayli !!!!!!!! thank you so much!

(i also forgot to mention in the last chapter that the statue is called starmy; ill edit that in)
_______________CHAPTER 3 - ANYTHING BUT ORDINARY

Having slept at Katie's place overnight (which was a rather generous offer on behalf of her newfound friend), Mint was refreshed and ready to go explore Icefall Cave and enter the next zone. The idea of the world being split apart was starting to resonate with her more and more; the confusion wore off and reality set in. There were no doubts. This had to be her destiny. So with her freshly awoken eyes she waved the colourful town of Frosting goodbye and set off east, as Starmy had instructed. It wasn't long until Mint was faced with the ice blue cliff-face with a large ominous opening. Pure white sunlight seemed to dissipate in the cave, which was coloured a dusty ice-blue hue. Taking a deep breath to calm herself down, Mint cautiously stepped in.

Near the entrance, a sign read "Icefall Cave - b-w-re of evi- sp-r--s". It had been scribbled out partially, rendering it illegible. This alarmed Mint to an extent, but didn't stop her from carrying on. She looked around. The cave was large, the icicle ridden ceiling extending hundreds of feet above her, and the cave floor mapped out to be expansive and circular. Every step she took created a loud ghostly echo. Her white hot breath illuminated the dusky dimness of the cave around her. The floor was a mixture of ice, stone and snow - slippery and unforgiving. No child would think to play or make a snowman here. As she looked up, she saw that the cave was a system of platforms; spiralling around the walls of the great icy cavern, only stopping at the summit, where Mint could make out a dusky hole that resembled a doorway.

She advanced towards the first icy platform. Footstep. Echo. Footstep. Echo. A few chunks of ice fell from the ceiling a few meters away from her. She panicked and picked up the pace until she reached the first platform. Her breath was hot and humid against her warm skin and pierced the icy atmosphere around her. She climbed the first compact snowy mass and advanced higher and higher. She looked around - was something eerie going on? She could've sworn she saw something watching her... something red... she ignored it and moved on.

The higher she climbed the platforms of the cavern the higher her anticipation rose, too. How would she be able to teleport? Was it as simple as getting to the top floor and going into the cave opening? More ice fell from the ceiling, this time next to her feet, and interrupted her thoughts. The space around her was a lot darker and colder, the cold biting against her warm skin and causing goosebumps to appear. Almost defensively, she felt her hands start to produce small embers. Her headache had subsided a while ago; this allowed her to concentrate a lot more. She took her hands out in front of her, and watched as the embers danced and brightened at her will. Was she... psychokinetic? It seemed this way. Just for fun, she blew a little at her hands, and small embers swirled into the air around her, before disappearing onto the icy floor beneath her. She smiled. It was nice to know that even in this cold, dismal place, she could light it up using her own soul's fire. Realising she was, in fact, procrastinating, she continued along her ascent.

The dark doorway was getting closer the higher she went. Looking down from her high up platform, she saw the cave floor, circular and expansive, twinkle as small icicles fell from the ceiling. But something dark moved behind her, causing her to jolt forward. Her heart raced as she stopped herself from going over the edge of the platform. What was that?! She turned around to find a flash of red dashing away into the shadows. Her hands burned up with larger flames now, almost instinctively. Something was amiss. She felt watched, like someone was out to get her. Those red eyes... burning angrily into her soul... she carried on climbing, quicker now.

Soon, she approached the doorway. Any kind of movement or cheery ambience that existed in the other part of the cave was definitely gone now. The doorway lead to dark, looming corridor. Cautiously, Mint took a step forward. No sound. No echo like before. Just silence. Another footstep, met with more silence. She carried on, quickening her pace. The darkness consumed her; no longer could she see or make out where she was going. The atmosphere was stagnant, dull and cold. The only sound was the rushing wind from the cave to beyond the corridor.

After what felt like forever, Mint was met with red eyes again. Suddenly. the room lit up, revealing a large, bipedal angry metallic monster. It was clear that it wanted to fight, bearing missiles on its crimson arms. Mint took out her hammer, focused her mind, and prepared for battle.

"YOU ARE NOT WELCOME HERE. YOU MUST BE DESTROYED." A cold threatening mechanical voice sounded. Its threatening red eyes bore into her soul, but she was brave, unlike her in her last encounter with an angry robot. Something inside of her burned with passion; she was determined to save the world. Swiftly, she launched herself into the air, hammer in hand, and whacked its cold metallic head, causing it to spin to one side. With her newfound spirit and athleticism, she landed couching on the floor, ready for whatever attack it was going to launch on her.

This move angered the robot. Standing tall over her, it moved its heavy armoured arm towards her. It was a missile gun, pointing straight at her! A coundown started.

Beep. Mint dashed out of the way of the red light target that appeared on her.

Beep. The target followed her. Mint kept running.

Beep. Beep. The countdown increased in frequency. Mint felt a lump in her throat, and a cold sweat started to emerge. Suddenly... the room felt icy.

Beep. Beep. Beep. As a last resort, Mint pointed both of her hands, in pistol position, straight at the giant bipedal machine. If this didn't work...

LAUNCH! The giant red missile headed straight at her. With all of her concentration, she created those soulful embers in her fingertips again. She watched painfully as they danced rapidly, getting larger, more vibrant. She closed her hands together, and the embers merged into a fireball. Letting go, she released the small inferno straight at the missile. Filled with sudden regret, Mint ducked and looked away.

BOOM. The missile had exploded backwards, causing the room to light up in an orange blast. The fireball kept going and increasing in size. CRASH. The giant metallic monster fell over onto the ground. Mint seized the opportunity. She got up from her crouching position, filled with dtermination and rage, and headed for the robots core. A red flashing gem, blinking angrily at her, lay on the robots stomach. She wielded her hammer. Without noticing, her weapon went up in flames.

"DON'T-" MInt started, smashing the red gem with her flaming hammer. It cracked.

"TRY-" She kept going. It cracked even more.

"TO STOP ME-" She kept bashing the gem.

"FROM SAVING THE WORLD!" With one final fiery smash, the gem was destroyed. A pale red light emitted from the robot, and it slowly broke away, and finally, disappeared. It was over.

Mint breathed heavily as she was overcome with a white light. She sighed, closed her eyes, dropped her knees and lifted her chin... suddenly she was transported...

*

"Hi! Welcome to Zone Select!" A female voice exclaimed, excitedly. Was she... dreaming? "I'm Lilly, and I'll be your guide to selecting a zone! Woo!" Mint opeed her eyes, to see a colourful pastel scene. The girl, Lilly, helped her up, grinning. Mint looked at her curiously. Her hair was a bright pink, tucked behind her ears with a white headband. Her bright brown eyes resided behind a pair of thick-rimmed glasses. Before Mint had a chance to open her mouth, the excitable girl spoke again. "I think the next place you should go to is Leafy Grove! There, you'll be sure to find a new friend." Mint was adjusting her tired eyes as she was promptly escorted to a green portal. Lilly waved at her as she hesitantly stepped in. Her world turned white, but she knew she was going to be okay. She opened her eyes wide and teleported to the next zone!
___

don't worry! that's not all our hero will see of snowy vale. hope you enjoyed the chapter o:

A boy awoke with amnesia yesterday in the zone of Leafy Grove, on Breezy Valley. His name was Evan, and he had coal-black hair that coiled in tight curls, dark skin and perky brown eyes that glinted red in the sunlight. For some reason, he had no recollection of where he was, and simply idyllically sitting laying down in the luscious green zone. Not knowing who he was wasn't too bad, after all - if no one knew him, then surely he'd have no responsibilities, right? The landscape rather rather hilly and had a lot of sunny valleys; the sky seemed to always be bright blue during the day and the temperature was warm and temperate. The foliage was lush and vibrant; large trees bearing colourful fruit, and bushes bearing bouquets of flowers for everyone who passed by. The amount of flowers and fruits that bloomed here created a gentle and sweet aroma that wafted through the kind, verdant valleys. Taking all of this in, Evan closed his eyes, with a leaf in his mouth, breathing deeply and enjoying the gentle breeze. Life couldn't get much better than this, could it?

After a few hours, sunny morning turned to lazy afternoon and Evan decided to take a walk and discover his surroundings. His mind and body were full of energy. Birds tweeted and chirped in the trees, flowers bounced up and down in the breeze and woodland creatures scurried along, gathering nuts and fruits and other materials to feed their families with. Families, huh... did he have a family? Evan didn't put much thought into it. Looking up, he saw a great sparkling blue lake from the tip of the grass cliff-face. It made him grin. Maybe he'd go swimming later... but first he thought he'd better look for a sign of civilisation. He couldn't simply stay living in the woods forever; after all, you can't order pizza to be delivered to the forest. That would be ridiculous.

He ambled downwards along the gentle slope of the verdant hill and saw a small town with wooden huts in the distance. Yep, that was where he was gonna go. He didn't have any money - he'd checked his pockets - but he was sure he'd find somewhere to stay or eat. Some nice old lady who thought he reminded her of her grandson or something. Yeah, that'd be nice. He daydreamed about pizza for a while. All of that stringy cheese... pepperoni... ah... without realising it, Evan had stumbled over a small rock jutting out of the earth. Panicking, he started to roll faster and faster, until he grabbed a ledge. He concentrated really hard on the piece of earth he was grabbing, and suddenly it started to move. A sprout started to emerge from it. Was he... hallucinating? No, he couldn't be, he was too strong for that. Strong... Evan imagined himself getting stronger, and managed to lift up his whole body back onto the gentle slope using just one hand.

He was dumbfounded. He knew he was a strong guy, but lifting his whole body up with one hand was rather unfeasible for any person. Nevertheless, he felt extremely dizzy from his newfound power. Cautiously, and careful not to crash and roll down the hill again, Evan made his way down the hill towards the village. After a few minutes, he arrived. He still felt a little dizzy, but he was okay.

Evan found a small amiable wooden signpost that had the word "Seedling" carved into it, with a small heart at the end. The town smelt of wood-smoke and summer. It was situated on flat land, a small grove in the midst of the lush valley. The houses here were made of wooden huts with small porches with pretty flowers on them. In the far corner of the town, Evan could see a small wooden temple with a garden and what looked like a flowery graveyard. Well, at least this town takes care of their dead. As he walked forward, he accidentally bumped into an old lady, who was about half his size.

"Don't be sorry dear, I am quite small after all. It's happened plenty of times before." She said through an old, weathered, yet genuine smile. "If I were younger, I would wear heels, but unfortunately I am a bit old for that." She laughed a hearty laugh and stamped her walking stick on the ground a few times. Evan smiled awkwardly. "Are you okay, dear? I saw you over there - you tumbled a long way down that hill." Her small eyes suddenly looked full of concern.

"Uh, yeah," Evan said, blushing slightly due to embarrassment. He couldn't let this ruin his image! "I'm fine, just a little bit dizzy."

"Nonsense, nonsense," The old lady said, still concerned. Her short ivory hair blew in the wind as she talked. "No matter how strong you think you are, you still need to relax. Come with me to my house, it's just over there. I'll show you. Come on now, I don't bite."

Evan walked followed her sheepishly towards her house, slightly embarrassed, and shared cake and tea with her. He stayed there for a while and ended up falling asleep at her place. She insisted on it.

*

A few hours later...

"Aiyaaaaaaaeeeehh!" Mint exclaimed, as she burst into Leafy Grove, falling flat on her face. "Oof! Lilly didn't have to drop me off 10 meters from the ground! That's not fair!" She grumbled as she recollected herself. She had actually appeared in Seedling. A few elderly people came up to her to see if she was okay. She thanked them, got up and looked at the sky. It was evening - the sky was turning a deeper darker blue each and every minute. The sun was nearing the horizon. She breathed in the sweet aroma of the town and felt the warm air on her skin. This zone seemed nice.

"You better get indoors, young lady," An old man started to say in a lecturing voice. "Zombies'll be comin' out soon, when night falls." Mint shrugged it off as a crazy old person trying to scare her, smiled sheepishly and started to walk away.

"No, he's not trying to yank your chain," Said a young man. "Zombies really do come out at night here... since the world had been split into zones and all. It's best to stay inside." Zombies? Really?! She's just escaped a giant robot trying to kill her, and now she had to deal with zombies?

"Ah, thanks." She said. "I'll be wary of them." She smiled and yielded her hammer to show that she could protect herself.

"You can stay with me for tonight, if you want. Free of charge." The young man smiled. Mint accepted - she had nowhere else to go, and the man seemed okay. Besides, if anything went wrong, she always had her fire power to help her.

*

Mint and the young man, named Eboy, were drinking tea and sitting by the fire. Night had fallen now, and the windows were all barred up with wooden planks. Eboy was explaining the situation to her.

"...And yeah. Rumour has it, that even one of the old ladies here is a zombie. She tries to act all nice, and concerned and everything, but really she's hungry for human flesh."

"Woah, really? I-" Mint was interrupted by a scream, a young man shouting for help. She dashed out of the house, quickly, hammer in hand, ready to help.

"Wait! At least shut the door if you're gonna help! I don't want any zombies in my house!" Eboy shouted as he shut the door suddenly. Mint ignored him and looked on. Did she... recognise that boy from somewhere? He had black hair that coiled and was screaming for help. It looked like an old lady was chasing him suddenly. Mint rushed up to him.

"Quick, come with me!" She shouted, grabbing his hand and running towards the nearby bushes. She ducked behind them and pulled Evan down with her. After brushing the dust off her tights, she looked him directly in the face. "Are you okay? What's happening?"

He started to talk, but Mint didn't listen. She started intently at his face, studying it. She felt like she knew him from somewhere... but how? The longer she looked, the more she felt something resonating with him... as if their hearts were linked. All of a sudden, her vision went black and white, except for Evan, who was fully red. That's it! She thought. I do know him! He must be one of the people Starmy was talking about!

Evan kept talking, oblivious that he wasn't being listened to, but stopped when Mint suddenly put her hands on his cheeks. She breathed deeply.

"Wow, I... do I know you?" He said, changing his tone of concern to a tone of wonder. "I feel like we've met before, but I can't remember anything..."

"Good!" Mint said, standing up - her vision returning to full colour. "'Cause we got a situation we need to sort out!" They both creaked their heads around slowly, coming face to face with some hungry zombies.

"RUN!!"

Last edited by mintdrop on Mon Jun 13, 2016 8:41 pm, edited 3 times in total.

@eboy it's fine, you can submit ideas. i can always alter things slightly. and could you be a little more specific about "not fleshed out"? if you're talking about there not being much action, it's because it was more of a chapter of exposition.
__________CHAPTER 5 - STAYING ALIVE

The spooky town at night was a lot different from the sunny town during the day. The sweet gentle aromas of the flowers turned sour at night as the undead rose out of the soil to traverse the town and claim it as their own. The sky, tinted an eerie midnight violet loomed over the area as a thick sour fog crept in from the graveyard. The smell of rot permeated the village. Truly, this was not a likeable scene, and the two heroes, newly united, had to deal with it, soon. They had been running for what seemed like hours - their feet tired from treading on hard earth and matted grass. Mint was fast, and Evan was not; though what he lacked in speed he made up for in strength. Barely even having the chance to get to know each other, however, they had no choice but to stick together for survival. They hid behind a large tree, away from the ominous glowing lights of the village but with enough light to see. They were out of breath. But the graveyard was close. They couldn't stay here long...

"I think..." Evan panted. "We might... have lost them..." He peered behind the large oak. Suddenly, Evan felt the atmosphere get very humid and chilly.

"Yeah," whispered Mint, hugging herself tight to avoid the effects of the cold. "But how... are we supposed... to beat them?" She was still out of breath.

"No idea!" Evan said loudly - he regained his pace again quickly. Mint hushed him, as to not attract the attention of an unwaneted visitor. "Oh, sorry... Well I haven't seen anything like this before..." He felt an icy chill travel down his spine as he imagined coming face to face with a zombie again. "Urgh, they just...! Give me the total CREEPS." He said, cringing hard.

Mint giggled. "Wow, you're actually really frightened aren't you?" She jeered. Evan pouted and denied the accusation. It was IMPOSSIBLE for him to be scared. He puffed out his chest and put his hands on hip hips, turning his nose away from the rosy-faced girl. "Behind you!" She shouted. Evan jumped, hiding behind Mint suddenly, causing her to burst into laughter.

"This is serious, Mint! Don't EVER do that again!" Evan exclaimed, red in the face. Mint continued to laugh, oblivious that something was behind her. "Oh, no..." Evan's pupils narrowed. "Mint, we gotta go. Now." Wiping away a few tears, she rolled her eyes, her face still smiling.

"Yeah right, I'm not- UWAAAGH!" She screamed, grimacing as she felt an icy claw on her back. Dragging Evan by the arm, she sprinted as fast as she could away from the graveyard. Evan was dragged along, stumbling over his own feet, dumbfounded by the entire situation. She turned. Zombie. Turned again, an opening in the trees. Following the clearing, she found more zombies. Quick! She did a u-turn and ran towards the nearest building she could find. A drugstore, with huge pink letters glowing out through the thick sour fog. She banged on the door, to find out it was actually automatic, and it slid open.

Mint rushed inside, still dragging Evan with her, and immediately locked the door behind her. Something was... different in here, as if the drugstore was in a completely different space in the universe to the rest of the town. Clean, crisp air, pink and white tiled floors and white LED lights juxtaposed heavily with the sour blue foggy mass outside. Fridges full to the brim with food, isles full of miscellaneous items and beauty products.. you'd think the town was crazy for not all staying in here. She blinked, bemused, and Evan slumped to the floor, exhausted. Eyeing her from across the room was a familiar face, grinning wildly. Katie! She walked towards her with a confused expression on her face, Evan still collapsed on the floor melodramatically. How was this even possible?

"Katie, how did you..." Mint started. Before she could finish, she was cut off.

"Don't worry about it!" Katie said with a bright smile. "Can I get you anything? That hammer of yours is looking a little burnt and worn out." The excitable Katie pointed towards her now ashy hammer that Mint was wielding. That's right, she'd used it against that weird robot. "I have a new one here; this one's heat resistant, AND has spikes on the ends." Katie continued. Mint blinked again, lost for words. "I know what you're thinking, oh, that Katie must think I have all the funds in the the world! I can't pos-si-bly afford that! Well THAT'S where you're wrong! This sweet mallet here? $10. And because your friend has such a cute face, I'll throw in some spiked gloves too for an extra $5."

"That's generous of you, and all, but I don't actually... have... any money." Mint said sheepishly. She turned the corners of her mouth upwards slightly and looked to the side. Gosh, that's embarrassing.

"I have money!" Evan yelled as he got up from the floor suddenly, wielding $20 in his hand. His eyes were beaming at the gloves, as if they were a pair of diamonds. "I found it on the floor while we were running from the zombies." He slammed it on the counter and put the gloves on his hands. Mint threw her burnt hammer away and took the new, spiked one, along with the change. Evan rushed outside, Mint waved Katie goodbye and followed him, still embarrassed.

"I'm ready to take you on zombies!" Evan exclaimed at the top of his voice. "I'll kick your- huh? It's already sunrise?" Mint left the drugstore and found herself to be bemused again. He was right! The sun was rising and the sour fog was lifting. The sweet familiar aroma was starting to drift down from Breezy Valley, and the town looked verdant and lush again. Looking towards the graveyard, Mint could see zombies clambering back into the soil. But from their cold gazes, she could tell that they could be back again. But they had subsided for now, and both Mint and Evan felt sweet relief rushing through them. They walked around town, lowering their hammer and fists respectively, and found an old couple and stopped to say hello.

"So you survived a night outside with the zombies, eh? You must be some lucky kids." The old man said, his brows furrowed and his eyes sceptical. "Legend has it, that a charm to soothe enraged spirits exists in Honeycomb Manor, in a town a few miles from here. Now i might be a little bit crazy, but I think you two kids could get that ol' charm and end this zombie business." Mint and Evan looked at each other. It was decided.

The route to Honeycomb was through the quaint, cool Serene Forest. There had been no zombie sightings here and it made a nice refreshing change from Seedling at nighttime. The sheer density of the canopy leaves shaded the forest floor a deep verdant green and gave it an almost magical atmosphere. Colourful mushrooms - garnet and fuchsia, spotted and plain - arose from the ground in curious locations. A stream ran through all the way through the area, housing bright green frogs, fireflies and tadpoles, amongst other curious creatures. White butterflies drifted through the air with purpose - like they had somewhere to be - their delicate bodies protected by the thick canopy. The further Mint and Evan travelled towards Honeycomb, the more the fields of grass and mud turned into fields of pastel flowers sprawled all over the forest floor, and the more the damp earthy smell of the forest turned into a sweet, honey-like aroma. Wind seemed not to blow here, as if time was standing still. The tall, lush trees protected the forest from any evil harm and protected them from the elements.

Mint had been sharing her experiences of psychic power to Evan while they were walking through the forest. Evan seemed really interested. She thought this might be a good place to show off her pyrokinetic abilities to Evan, but for some reason her fingers could not spark an ember. The more she tried the more frustrated she became, but for some reason she couldn't do it like before. It was as if the forest wouldn't let her. Evan, however, was still full of belief, and wondered if he had any secret powers of his own. He thought back to yesterday, when he stumbled on the hill and generated a ledge her himself to stand on. That wasn't normal... He thought about it deeply, breathing heavily, allowing the atmosphere of the forest to enter in and out of his lungs. He felt the plants and the earth around him quiver. Mint stepped back slightly. The earth at Evan's feet was starting to move!

"Wow, that's... that's incredible!" Mint said, with a tone of delight. "Can you do anything else?"

"I don't know... that's the first time I've really managed to do anything." He said, adopting a serious tone. His power had lifted him 1 foot from the ground. Concentrating very hard on his hand, he caused a tiny leaf to emerge from very air in front of him. "Wait... what?! Are you seeing this, Mint?!" She nodded, lost for words. She could still hardly believe her own power. the more he concentrated, the more the leaf grew and the more leaves joined it. They materialised from thin air, from his very own mind. When he was satisfied with the amount, he left go of them, letting them float in the air. All of a sudden, they darted away together in unison. "Go, my children!" Evan shouted, as the sharp leaves pierced into a large oak and dissipated back into thin air. He soon felt very dizzy, but still smiled with happiness and disbelief. Mint grinned. Another psychic user!

After a few more minutes of walking, the forest was coming to an end, and they were nearing the sweet town of Honeycomb. Time to get that charm and put an end to the zombie terror in Seedling!

If only one word could be used to describe the town of Honeycomb, it would have to be regal. Wild flowers of pastel shades fluttered away from the forest entrance and arranged themselves in neat little rows besides the posh, white mansions and dainty, noble buildings. Neat architecture, with designs of gold and silver were present all over the town, covering the elegant hexagonal-shaped gardens, which had no leaf out of place. As they were crossing the sparkling golden bridge into the town, Mint and Evan found themselves severely out of place - dressed in common clothes while the citizens of Honeycomb dressed to impress; posh long dresses of non-offensive colour for women, and tuxedos of white, grey or light blue for men. Mint felt like she was overstepping social rules, sporting a black cropped t-shirt and a high-waisted white skirt with a bright blue hoodie (which donned cute animal ears too) - she may be deemed too impolite or immature for such a fanciful and noble society such as this. And Evan - oh Evan, how dare he be wearing JEANS in a place like this?!

So the two wandered through the town in the late morning sunlight, looking for the elusive Honeycomb Manor, feeling intrigued and fascinated by the beauty and architecture of the town, yet more than a little-bit self conscious. Whilst many citizens smiled their way, and Mint and Evan feebly smiled back, others simply felt simply too disgusted by their presence that they opted to scoff or turn their noses up at them instead, as if they were some street punks simply looking for trouble. But the two teens tried to ignore the social negativity around them, instead focusing on the positive natural aspects of the town. At least it smelled really good. No offensive aromas; simply the smell of honey and cherry blossoms that wafted through the air. Mint breathed deeply. It felt good to be in an atmosphere this pure. Suddenly, Evan's stomach rumbled - they hadn't eaten in quite a few hours now!

Before trying to find the manor, the two looked for cafes to eat in. But they realised that $5 wouldn't get them that far, and gave up.

Mint rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, you're not the only one." She said. Her stomach did a large rumble that attracted the attention of a passing couple. "Maybe we could buy a pot of honey or something... or honeycomb... ha, ha...."

"Urrgghhh!" Evan moaned again. Mint tilted her head at him and lifted one eyebrow. "That was an AWFUL pun, and NOW I'm even MORE hungry!"

But Mint was right. They did manage to buy themselves a small honeycomb each - rather fittingly - with the little money they had. They were by no means full, but satiated for the time being. And after they had finished, hands licked clean and small drabs on honey on the corners of their mouths, they found the allegedly popular Honeycomb Manor. And boy, was it huge and expensive-looking. The giant building, so tall yet so elegant, overlooked the rest of the town with its tall, expansive windows and large corridors and ballrooms. Ornamented with real gold and silver, the mansion shone a brilliant white that simultaneously illuminated the town and shadowed it with its great glory. Upon approaching the large silvery gates, they learned that the giant house homed the single and childless Lord Honeycomb, an extremely wealthy man with a lot to show off.

"Do you have an appointment with Lord Honeycomb?" The guard at the gate sneered disapprovingly.

"No, but," Mint started. She panicked. An appointment... they didn't make an appointment!

"It's really urgent!" Evan continued. "We need the-"

"I'm sorry, but you need to make an appointment to see Lord Honeycomb, no matter the situation. But if I really is urgent, perhaps I would let you in if you two were dressed more... modestly." He turned his nose up and stuck with staff in front on him, communicating that the conversation had terminated. Feeling rather flustered and frustrated, Mint pulled Evan along with her and walked away. But she soon came face to face with a stranger that looked suspiciously like Katie the drugstore employee, except they donned a curious moustache and a top hat. The mysterious stranger was grinning wildly.

"I say, old chum, if it's modest dress you'll be needing, come to on the street across from here." Said the mysterious stranger in a forcibly lowered voice, before winking and disappearing behind the corner. Left with no other options, Mint and Evan followed the stranger's instructions and found the equally mysterious Drugstore, this time with blue glowing letters and a blue tiled floor.

The drugstore was extremely small, and consisted of simply one fridge with soft-drinks, a door leading to a storage room, and a counter bearing the mysterious stranger that looked a lot like Katie, equipped with top hat and all, grinning right at them as Katie usually does.

"Mint, I gotta feeling..." Evan whispered into his friends ear, still making eye contact with the mysterious clerk. "I think this 'stranger' might actually be Katie."

"Ah! The lady and gentleman from before! Come in, come in!" The clerk said enthusiastically, still with that low force that sounded forced. "Have I got just the modest attire for you!" They handed Mint a long, pale blue dress and Evan a black tuxedo with a green bow-tie. Directing them towards the back room, which turned out the be two dressing rooms, they started to get changed separately.

Mint cautiously took off her clothes, putting them in her bag, and fitted on the long dress. She struggled into it at first, but with some kind of miracle, managed to zip the dress up by the back herself. She looked into the narrow, full body length mirror. She looked considerably similar to a baby blue wedding cake, with the waist being small and the dress positively puffing out at the hips, with blue and white ruffles flowing all the way down to the floor. Though she felt rather silly, she did regrettably feel a sensation of excitement due to looking like a princess. Cautiously, she stepped into the similarly adorned high heels that the drugstore clerk gave her, and felt rather wobbly and unstable. She did feel rather tall, and pretty though. She looked at the makeup pack beside her. Does she dare? It wasn't often that Mint wore heavy makeup, opting to use mascara and eyeliner, possibly some lip-gloss if she was feeling adventurous. Curiously, she picked up a brush and applied some foundation. It felt nice of her young skin. She continued, dotting concealer on her face, gently contouring and highlighting. She bronzed up her face before applying some soft eyeliner. She stared at the mirror as her face changed. It feels good to be this pretty... As a final step, she gently applied some peachy-coloured lipstick and she was done. She was by no means a professional, but she felt accomplished and dainty, as if she finally fit in with the town around her. Nervously, with a flush of red in her face, she shuffled out of the dressing room, to find Evan looking smart with a plain black tuxedo and a bright green bow-tie. Both feeling rather out of place, Evan nodded at Mint, and she nodded back. Nothing brings two people closer together platonically than having to endure the same awkward hardships. Together they stepped out of the back room and came face to face with the mysterious stranger again.

"Marvellous! Absolutely stunning! Don't worry about paying me, this is a gift." The stranger said, ushering them out of the shop all whilst grinning wildly. "Now go! Off to your meeting with Lord Honeycomb! Good luck!"

The manor was fancy. Incredibly fancy. There seemed to be an event going on, with crowds of intelligent and equally fancily-dressed individuals gathered on the expansive marble floor, appreciating the marvellous decor whilst tasting wine and eating hors d'oeuvres presented by the host himself. The wide marble ceiling was painted with a brilliant starry scene and in the middle was a globe depicting the world, full and complete, resting and floating through space. Was that what the world looked like before it was split apart? Wondered Mint. The main hall was adorned similarly to the rest of the town, sporting a large golden fountain with flowers delicately placed around it. But the manor didn't smell like honey, it smelt like something different... like cool, empty halls, with a touch of a pungent feminine fragrance. It didn't make Mint smile. It made her feel rather lost and alone.

After having appreciated the decor for long enough, Mint and Evan sought out to find Lord Honeycomb. Allegedly, he was a rather round, large man, dressed in a white shimmery tuxedo with a yellow bow-tie and top hat. Due to having such a recognisable image, the two of them found him quickly. He was standing by himself, appreciating the glory of people all around coming to marvel at his house. His face was as round as his bulging stomach, and he had large bushy white eyebrows and a feathery white beard. Since he was only sipping red wine and grinning to himself, Mint felt the opportunity to speak was as good as it was ever going to get.

"Excuse me, Lord Honeycomb," Mint asked, curtsying awkwardly. "I'm Mint, and I... would like to enquire about your Old Charm..."

"Hm?" He grunted, turning to face Mint. "And what charm would that be? If you're talking about my Cleansing Charm, it's not for sale."

"Please, m'lord, there is a crisis in Seedling town. Zombies - the undead - are appearing out of the ground every night and disrupting the lives of the citizens." Mint urged.

"Lord Honeycomb, it would only be for a short while. You can have it back, like straight- I mean - shortly. " Evan added, flustered.

"No, no way." said Lord Honeycomb as he shook his head disapprovingly. His thin feathery beard moved from side to side as he moved his head. "How do I know that you are not thieves and bandits? My family and ancestors have been in possession of the Cleansing Charm for generations now. Do you know how hard my family worked to keep it intact and away from everyone, from the commoners? I haven't had an easy life, you know - people like you always try to come to scrounge off of my possessions, for one reason or another, and I've always told them the same thing - NO! Now, away with you! Go deal with your own affairs and leave me out of them!" He demanded, red in the face. Disgusted, he turned around. Mint looked crestfallen. Evan got angry.

"Now listen here, 'lord', the people out there in Seedling are suffering, and-" Evan started to say, but Mint stopped him, knowing that it would lead nowhere. They were about to turn away, but there was a crash in the hall.

"Duck Evan, now!" She said, crouching suddenly. Evan did the same. Crowds of people broke away and several men and women screamed, running out of the way. Mint narrowed her eyes and withdrew her hammer. She took off her heels, laying them sprawled on the floor. It was time to fight. Suddenly, several robots tore through the halls of Honeycomb Manor, their crimson metallic skin gleaming in the dusty sunlight. They were headed towards Mint and Evan. One by one, they flew towards her, and with Evan still crouching behind her, she whacked them one by one with her hammer as they flew past, causing them to spiral out of control and become dented and deformed. But it wasn't over.

They started coming back, and now it was Evan's turn to rally. He stood up strong, equipped his spiked gloves and punched the flying robots as they came towards him, following suit of Mint. Whilst they spiral out of control again, Mint felt the embers forming at her fingertips. Time to dance! The fires sparked and grew and danced and glowed. Evan kept punching. When it was time, Evan ducked out of the way and let Mint shoot at one of the robots...

Evan watched intently. The fire grew, expanding into a fist-sized fireball. More people, though panicked, watched with amaze as the fires came out of Mint's palms. Suddenly, the fire burst out of her palms, firings out into one of the crimson robots, hitting its metallic frame. BANG. It exploded into pieces. But the battle wasn't won yet; there were still three left!

Evan's time to shine now. He focused his mind, and leaves grew in the air above his palms. People still watched from the sidelines in amazement. Even Lord Honeycomb himself was watching! The leaves grew and grew, larger and more plentiful. But Mint had another idea too. Whilst the robots around the two heroes readied their weapons, Mint set up the embers in her hands again, and Evan blew on the leaves he created, causing them to spiral out in all directions. Mint blew on her own flames and they followed suit of the razor sharp leaves, eventually catching up with them and setting them on fire. One by one they pierced the bodies of the metallic robots.

BANG. One down.

CRASH. Another, gone.

BOOM! A robot that was about to shoot Lord Honeycomb, blasted into smithereens.

It was over. Mint and Evan got up, regained their composure and looked at Lord Honeycomb. The people around them started to clap and cheer as crimson robot pieces lay smoking on the floor. The two heroes smiled feebly, Mint looking down on the floor and Evan staring on the crowd, grinning. Appearing very flustered and concerned, Lord Honeycomb approached them.

"I am so, so sorry that I underestimated you. My dearest apologies go onto you." He said, extremely taken about and gratuitous. "Please, as a gift for saving my manor from destruction, take the Cleansing Charm." He retrieved it from his blazer pocket and gave it to Mint.

"And and a bonus reward," He said, facing the crowd, trying to entice them "I will grant you $100 dollars for causing minimal damage to my property!" Lord Honeycomb said, as a surprising generous twist. He handed Mint a hefty sum of money. "Let us celebrate!" The crowd cheered.

By the time Mint and Evan had finished they stay at the Manor, changed out of their fancy clothes and trekked back to Seedling, it was the evening time. Mint placed the peculiar charm, shaped like a lamp with a long ribbon attached, on the podium on the town centre. Lighting red embers on her fingertips, she drew a deep breath and said a meaningful prayer in her mind.

Oh Cleansing Charm, please calm the spirits of the undead, so that the townspeople may lead a life of peace, and the undead be granted eternal rest once again.

Mint lit the fire, and Evan smiled. Suddenly, the town was enveloped in a bright light that headed towards the graveyard. After a few moments it subsided, and a warm breeze drifted through the town like a long sigh. Several onlookers at the town square smiled at Mint and Evan. They smiled back. Looking up the stars, Mint appreciated the newfound beauty of Seedling at night.

But suddenly she felt very uneasy...

As she looked up at the twinkling evening stars, she felt like someone was calling her for help...

i've told u privately but i really enjoy your writing.......it's always very charming and while it's inspired by earthbound it never reads as a ripoff. your worlds and characters are very charming and nice but your techinical skill has improved a lot too and it reads better than your last work i'm happy to see you improve and branch out into things other than art, it's inspiring

@dev thank you so much! im glad the inspiration comes through w/o the feeling of total plagiarism and im glad that you think ive improved. also spoilers!!! gosh...
@batty aaah feedback from the queen of writing herself??? im glad you enjoy my story and thank you for reading!! ^-^
___CHAPTER 7 - CAYLI, THE CARING

The waves of the ocean were few and gentle as they washed the bright, sleeping amnesic girl onto the the sloping eroded stone floors of the Sleepy Ruins, in the zone of Twinkle Shores. The morning sun had peaked on the ocean as the starry-eyed girl awoke with a confused, dreamy smile. Hm? She thought. Where am I? Still in a tired daze, she rolled over away from the gentle caress of the ocean water onto drier rock. She was confused. When she closed her eyes again. she saw stars - bright, pointy, yellow, forming a galaxy in her mind. Think positive. It'll be okay. She thought to herself gently, still in a dozy state. You gotta get up now. But everything will be okay, even though you only remember your name. Suddenly, she awoke, lying on her stomach, her great coffee-coloured eyes beaming into her surroundings. As she got up, she noticed she was in a small castle, half-submerged into the sea. A gentle salty air drifted through the ruins, making the smooth stone dry. Huge windows, hollow, guided the gentle breeze and created a low sleepy hum, like a giant flute. She appeared to have washed up in the mid-section of a tower, the lower portion submerged in the clear turquoise waters below her. As she peered over the edge, a small waved lapped at her bare knees. It was cold and refreshing. But she decided it was time to explore.

This starry-eyed girl, Cayli, didn't need her memories to be happy. As she got up and explored the giant pearly halls overgrown with seaweed and ruin, she began to get curious. Why did she have no memory? What was her life like before this? Does she have any family? Pondering about her strange and mysterious amnesia for too long didn't make Cayli sad per se, but she decided to focus on the situation around her before troubling herself with irrelevant problems. After all; she was by herself (which she seemed to like), exploring a mysterious submerged castle in a clear turquoise ocean. It was presumably an unreachable relic - perhaps she'd discover something unusual, and could keep it for herself like her own personal memento? Something worth more than money - maybe a really really rare gem, or, like, an ancient ornament that only she would know about and it could be super secret and confidential and something she'd only tell really really close friends about? Or maybe no treasure; but that would be okay, as it's more about the experience than taking away anything material anyways. The button-nosed girl giggled - she'd explored three halls whilst absent-mindedly dreaming about long lost treasure that she might find, and ended up on a balcony, with the ocean pouring in through the holes in the pearly railings. She walked to the edge of the railing and leaned forward.

The morning ocean was really stunning, and Cayli didn't notice (or mind) that her grey tennis shoes by getting soaked by the incoming gentle waves. Oh well. They looked like they were waterproof anyway. She stayed there for a while - she was in no rush - and simply let the salty ocean breeze drift past her. Her soul was calm and gentle. She forgot about having amnesia and just stared at the sea whimsically, all the while smiling. The ocean seemed to come to a point in the horizon and then drift out at the side, as if it was blocked. Hm. That's weird. Was she hallucinating? All of a sudden, something else caught her attention - something bright teal and black in the water. The sea was ripply so she couldn't make it out. But after staring at the strange image for a second, she realised.

"Oh, that's me!" Cayli said out loud, surprised at her reflection. She knew what she looked like, but totally forgot about her hair. It was jet black on the right side and bright teal on the left, tied in a neat little bun on the top of her head, with a small fringe coming out. She grinned. She didn't realise that she had such cool hair! Excited, she decided to stop staring at the ocean and carry on with her exploration of the castle. The castle wall was completely crumbled on one side and riddled with salt deposits and seaweed, she she clambered over the ruin back into the castle. It was then when she found something particularly interesting - a treasure chest in the corner of the room! Excitedly, she rushed over to open it.

The lid was heavy and covered in salt and sediment, but Cayli managed to open it anyway. Inside was something unexpected. A ukulele! It was small, pineapple yellow with a lime green pattern on it. A little dusty, but after she blew on it, the dust wore away to reveal a glossy wooden surface. Eagerly, she picked it up and and plucked the strings. A distant memory came back to her... some chords, plucking strings... yep! Before she lost her memory, she knew how to play the small cute instrument. As if it were instinctive, she delicately placed the instrument in her arms and began to play. Plink, plink, plink. It was out of tune, but that could be fixed. Cayli fiddled with the instrument a little, and within a few moments... ta da! It was in tune, perfect for performing. She strummed it playfully to celebrate her minor victory. Now if only she had people to perform to.

In the distance, Cayli noticed a large area of land, with the tide coming in to reveal a small sandy walkway towards a beach with plenty of palm trees. Squinting her eyes to get a better look, she saw some skyscrapers in the distance. A city? Perhaps she could get some answers... And seeing as she had nowhere else to go, she walked along the gentle damp sandy path toward the beach.

As soon as she stepped onto the dry, hot sand of Bright Shores, the water behind her seemed to gently rush in, leaving the path to the submerged castle closed and watery. Ukulele in hand, she ambled along the sandy shores, and strained her eyes to look around her. The sun was rather high in the sky now. Seagulls squawked in the sky as they flew overhead in one direction, probably searching for food to steal from an expecting person. Cayli frowned. Seagulls were animals, and she LIKED animals, but they didn't appreciate them stealing peoples food. That wasn't fair! Tilting her head lower and using her hand to shield her eyes from, she saw the city close-by, with high skyscrapers and palm trees lining the streets. She didn't like big cities all that much; she found comfort in solitude and nature. Big cities were a little too busy for her. Continuing her scan of the beach she saw people playing volleyball, several huts selling hot dogs, ice cream, and other nice seaside snacks. One wooden hut with a straw roof blasted out rock music with happy optimistic lyrics and nice chords. The music made her heart feel light and happy.

Walking further along the beach, she took the ukulele into her arms again and began to play alongside the music. Plinka plinka plink. She focused on the sound of her tropical instrument, feeling it resonate with her heart and soul. It felt very soothing, like a familiar sound that was close to home... as she continued playing she closed her eyes, and some children started to gather before her, attracted by the sound of her melody. Kids that were previously arguing over ice cream cone flavours stopped arguing and looked towards her. Soon enough, some teenagers stopped laying volleyball and listened to her sound match the rock song in the background. People swayed their heads and were soothed by the melody of the ukulele, the major chords striking hope and optimism into their hearts. Pluck, pluck, pluck. More people arrived to watched the two-toned haired girl play. Cayli still had her eyes closed. Pluck, pluck, pluck. People smiled and swayed to the optimistic sound of her melody. Suddenly, she opened her eyes and was shocked at all the people staring at her, enjoying her music. All of a sudden, she stopped playing, and as gradually as they came the people slowly went back to whatever they were doing before. Cayli was left there, bemused.

Then, something curious happened. An eccentric man in a crimson suit and sunglasses approached her, clapping. He wore a big grin on his square face and stood several inches taller than Cayli.

"That was excellent, kid! That's exactly the kind of sound my company's looking for." The man said with a low voice, his shades gleaming in the sun. He stuck out his hand and Cayli shook it, feebly. She was nervous all of a sudden. "What's your name, kid?"

"Uh, Cayli."

"Cayli, huh? Strange name for a kid round these parts." Kid. He kept calling her that. "I run a music company, makin' superstars out of child prodigies and all that. And you," He pointed at her. "You got some serious talent." He winked. "Meet me at the stage in the centre of city in twenty minutes so we can get you performing."

"O-okay." Cayli replied, and the man left. A superstar, huh? Maybe that's who she was before she lost her memory. And she DID find a ukulele in the chest of the castle. Maybe it was all... destiny? Needless to say, she decided to meet the curious man.

Before she knew it, she had signed the contract and was all dolled up, centre stage, in Glitter City. The curtains were drawn, and she hadn't seen the audience yet. Anticipation ran through her veins. Was she really meant to be a superstar? She was dressed in a way that made her FEEL like a superstar. Her short bobbed hair wait curled and waved, so that it bounced up and down every time she moved. Her eyes were adorned with thick mascara and cute little cat-eye eyeliner, and her cheeks a bright peachy colour. Heck, she even had glitter on her face to make her look sparkly. Her clothes were green and black, her top cropped and her skirt bouncy and short. She had bright green shoes on and long white socks that reached her knees and frilled at the elastic rim. She was ready. Excited even. But it was when the curtains opened and revealed the hundreds of people staring right at her, that she realised she had made a huge mistake.

Someone coughed in the crowd. Oh, gosh, they hate me. Her pretty clothes suddenly felt very silly and childish. Biting her lip and looking behind her her some form of support, she saw the guy in the crimson suit urging her on, making a hand gesture as if to say, 'Go on, introduce yourself! Go!' Having no other option, Cayli stepped forwards. Jelly legs. Her feet moved awkwardly as she moved forwards towards the microphone. She stared at the crowd. They stared back.

"Um, hello," She said, nervously. Remember, remember. Your idol name is Wacky. You're fun, peppy and love to play ukulele. "My name is Idol Wacky, and I love to sing- uh, play the ukulele!" She awkwardly struck a pose as the limelight flashed on her. She was so unprepared. How was this ever a good idea?! Some audience members cheered as she fumbled onto the chair behind her. Taking a few breaths, she began to play the same song she played on the beach.

Plink, plink, plink. She closed her eyes, remembering the happy chords. A few audience members in the front row began to sway.

Pluck, pluck, pluck. She quickened the pace, and the strobe lights around her moved. Some of the crowd started to clap. She closed her eyes so as not to see the crowd. Louder and louder the ukulele sounded into the microphone and echoed across the glittering park.

Twang, twang, twang. More and more of the crowd swayed now as she played the upbeat soothing melody like a long lost memory. It was like she had some strange ability to entice the crowd and make them calm. She even incorporated some improvisation of her own, creating her own bridge and mini verses. The audience started to clap and sway, clap and sway. Pretty soon, the entire crowd was swaying in motion, and Cayli opened her eyes she sort of thought they looked like the waves of the ocean. How did she wake up in an oceanic ruin and end up playing in front of a crowd?

Soon enough, with a final strum of her instrument, the concert was over and Cayli was met with cheers and applause that warmed her heart and made her blush. She felt appreciated, But she felt like her missing memories detracted from her happiness now, a lot. But soon she met with her eccentric manager, who led her to a room behind the stage. It was dark red with purple and black flooring, with a small window near the ceiling. A dingy bed lay in the corner, and a rusty old sink in the other. It smelt like cigarettes and alcohol soaked into a crummy carpet, and made Cayli feel a little bit ill.

"That was EXCELLENT, kid!" He said. "I've just booked you in for five shows tomorrow, you feel like you're ready?"

Five shows?! "Actually, uh, I..." Cayli started. The man stared, still wearing shades, blocking out his eyes, his soul. "The applause and stuff was nice and all, but I'm not sure if this is what I want... I mean, I thought it was what was MEANT for me, but..."

"Listen here, punk." The man said, stepped closer. Cayli stepped back, scared. "You signed a contract. You can't back out on me now." She bared his teeth. "You're gonna make me lots of money, whether you like it or not."

"B-but," Cayli started, but the man exited the room, leaving behind only her old clothes on the raggedy bed.

"I mean it!" He shouted down the hall. Cayli tried to open the door, but it was locked and heavy. She sunk to the dirty floor, tears welling up in her eyes and stared out of the small window in the corner of the room. What had she gotten herself into? The stars twinkled down on her piteously. Feeling incredibly low, Cayli put her hands together and began to pray.

I'm in a really, really bad place right now... but if you can hear me...
I know this payer may be falling on deaf ears, and no one may be listening, but,
Anyone, someone out there... please help me!
___
find out what happens to our newfound hero NEXT TIME!!

Last edited by mintdrop on Mon Jun 13, 2016 8:41 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Mint sensed the prayer. Over and over. All through the night, it echoed around her mind, urging her to 'Go north, go north! Save me, please!' So, after a troubling nights rest at Seedling Inn, Mint and Evan headed north and were now the the incredible breathtaking Lush Lake, with the sense of autumn in the air. The scenery was lovely - the further north they went, the more red the leaves got and the cooler the air felt on the heroes' skin, leaves fell more frequently and the earthy colours of the leaves contrasted with the brilliant clear blue of the lake. But whilst Evan took in the scenery with sparkling eyes full of excitement (even wanting to go for a swim) Mint urged on, the prayer still spiralling around her mind. She felt too determined to save this mysterious person to have a good time and enjoy the scenery. She didn't even know why she wanted to save them - she liked to think it was because she had a pure, good heart but it was more like she was drawn to the person behind the plea more than anything else... similar to feeling of when she first saw Evan.

Regardless of Mint's anxiety and feverish anticipation, the two of them headed north until they reached the edge of the lake. And... apparently, the entirety of Leafy Grove too. But the lake simply stopped, alongside the ground, at a certain point, like it was jaggedly cut in half. Mint and Evan walked curiously up to the edge of the ground, and it looked simply like a cliff edge. But the water strangely remained stationary and didn't fall off the cliff. Looking below the cliff, all they could see was the sky, expanding into the earth below. Was that it? Was this just the end of the zone? She tried putting her hand over the edge, but an invisible force stopped it. Evan tried punching it, but his fist bounced back. This was insane. The zone was completely cut off, and someone had split it apart from the rest of the world. But in the distance, Mint could make something out... snowy mountains... was that Snowy Vale, across the void of empty sky? So many questions unfurled in her mind, but the plea of the prayer was still there and urged her to keep going.

"Mint, Mint!" Evan exclaimed, excitedly. He was more overwhelmed with the discovery of the zone end to be alarmed. "I found something cool, a maze! It it says that Zone Select thingy you told me about can be accessed in the middle of the maze!" His eyes sparkled as he reported the news to Mint, and she couldn't help but smile. He was so excited.

"Alright then," Mint replied, "Let's go save that mysterious girl!"

The two of them stepped in the maze, the tall, brown, square bushes obstructing their vision. This was going to be challenge. Mint took a step forward. Evan stepped forward too. BUZZ. Something close behind them buzzed its large wings. They both creaked their heads around slowly. A giant, crimson metallic beetle hovered behind them, blocking out the light of the autumnal sun, similar in design to the monster Mint fought in Icefall Cave. She rubbed her eyes, and it shot a large red laser at her feet. This was serious! Grabbing Evan's hand, she started to run, fast.

"What IS that?!" Evan asked Mint, running with all of his might. "Shouldn't we try... fighting it... instead of running away?!"

"No! It's... too dangerous! And this girl... needs us!" Mint said, her breath staggered due to her quick pace.

They turned a corner, and another, having no idea where they were going. Brambles and sharp twigs grated against their skin and they too close to the edge in panic. They couldn't stop, in fear of being lasered to death. So they kept turning and turning, left, right, right, left, missing out a turn, turning around at dead ends, all the time trying to lose the metallic monster that was chasing them, whilst trying to find the centre of the maze. Mint kept in front - due to her faster speed - while she dragged Evan behind.

But suddenly, Evan noticed something. A red marker on Mint's back. A beeping sound. Mint was too caught on escaping to realise that she was a laser target! The beeping intensified... Evan summoned his power and suddenly felt himself becoming stronger. He ran up and caught up with Mint.

"GET OUT OF THE WAY!" He exclaimed, diving and bear hugging Mint, causing them both to crash to the ground. Evan landed on his back, whereas Mint was sprawled on the floor, head shaking and unaware of what just happened. CRASH! The laser missed, hitting a nearby bush and causing it to set on fire. The huge metallic beetle hovered right past them.

"T-thank you," Mint replied gratuitously, unable to say anything else. Evan nodded his head, and grabbed her arm and jumped through the hole that the laser created in the bush. There was no time to follow rules now! Still summoning his strength, he burst through bush after bush, creating holes in the maze, destroying it slowly. They were getting closer to the centre. Mint helped, sending a fireballs through the maze. After a few moments of destroying public property in order to save their skin, they reached the centre of the maze! A large pink crystal was in the middle, shining iridescent in the cloudy sunlight.

Buzz, buzz. The two weren't alone. The giant beetle caught up to the two of them, hovering down from above with its beady red eyes that bore into their souls. But Evan was tired of running, he ran up to it, still powered up from before, bearing his teeth. Mint tried to stop him, but Evan was too determined.

"Evan! Target the red gem on his belly!" She shouted. The giant metallic beetle tried setting a target on Evan again. In his fury, he summoned the razor sharp leaves from his fists, and they circled his hands. Just as the robot was about to fire, he smashed his iron fist into the bright red gem on its belly.

A crack.

A gleam.

An explosion of light. The beetle exploded into pieces. It was over! Mint and Evan panted, high-fiving each other, so proud to finally be over it. They tiredly crawled over to the pink gem in the centre of the maze. Everything turned white, and they were transported...

Mint awoke in a groggy daze, whereas Evan shot up defensively from his sleep, fists up and everything. But he let them down once he saw the eccentric pink haired girl in front of him, floating in the strange technicolor space. They seemed to be sitting on a white tiled floor, and the room they were in was simply a collection of pastel patterned backgrounds moving on a screen.

"Lilly!" Mint exclaimed cheerfully, raising her hands in celebration. "We made it to Zone Select!"

"Hehe, you sure did!" She said with a bright smile. "You look a little bit beat up. Lemme just... there!" She waved her hands over them, and tehy felt instantly refreshed, in an odd way. Evan squinted suspiciously.

"Hey... Lilly... if you're really on our side, why don't you come join us on our fight to reunite the zones? And did YOU separate the zones?! The fact that you're in here seems REALLY suspicious if you ask ME."

"Don't be silly!" Lilly replied, bonking him on the head. "I can't leave this place. I didn't separate the zones, either! Why would I do that? It's so inconvenient! I just healed you, be a little more grateful!" She turned to Mint after scowling at Evan. "I think the girl you're looking for is in Twinkle Shores. So you should go there next!" Her eyes lit up as she spoke. She ushered them both over to a yellow portal, and in a few moments, they were overcome by yellow light, and teleported again...

It was already sunset when the pair of them arrived in Glitter City, Twinkle Shores. The city was comprised of steel-blue, white and dark grey buildings, and lined with neon palm trees. Neon lights, in bright yellows and reds were present on almost every building in town, making the scenery blend into a chaotic advertising mess. Signs such as 'NEW', 'COFFEEMILK SOLD HERE', 'CASINO', and 'EXPRESS' all blurred together to form a strange neon word in Mint's mind. Evan seemed to like it a lot more though. The thought of the casino made him think of striking it rich, becoming a billionaire and living the life of luxury, in a mansion on the beach somewhere... Mint just thought it has nice aesthetics. Casinos were scams, anyway. Apart from the constant noise and music, the giant neon lights causing huge amounts of light pollution and the tall skyscrapers that loomed above your head, the city seemed pretty chilled out. It was situated next to the beach after all, and had a nice salty breeze. That was nice. Mint and Evan simply walked along the streets, keeping an eye out for a girl in trouble, in case it was the girl who's prayer was circling around Mint's mind. Mint had a headache from all of her concerns and from being troubled with constant anxiety for hours. She was exhausted. And Evan couldn't help but feel a bit bad for her. So in order to soothe her nerves, he suggested that they went to a concert. Mint thought about it for a bit, and after some gentle persuasion, she agreed. Evan grinned with excited anticipation, his eyes sparkling. Something about this city just gave him energy.

"It'll be fun!" He said, after they bought the tickets at a stand and were entering the event. "You can't be living in constant worry. You've gotta take your mind off things sometime." he patted her on the back. Mint replied with an uncertain "Mhm..." and they entered into a medium sized hall.

The hall was a dark lilac colour. The lights were dimmed, apart from the stage lights which had a blaring red neon sign above it reading 'IDOL WACKY' in bold capital letters. The stage was glittery and creamy coloured. Mint imagined it would make a grainy sound when you stood on it. The walls were decorated with dark red ribbon, much like the colour of the carpet. It smelled of stale popcorn and alcohol. It wasn't particularly pleasant. But pushing the strange atmosphere and her anxieties in her head to one side, Mint (alongside Evan) shuffled into their seats. They were in the middle row and had a decent view of the stage. Suddenly, the lights went off entirely and an announcer spoke.

"Laaaaadies and Gentleman," The announcer said, his fake-deep and showy voice sounding through the megaphone, "I present to you, the fabulous, wonderful, adorable..." He paused for a long drumroll. Spotlights danced around on stage. Mint sunk in her seat whilst Evan grinned in high hopes. "ID-DOL... WACK-Y!" There was a large cheer from the audience as an eccentric-looking girl, adorned in pretty green clothes, came out on stage. Her head her low, looking to the floor, and she didn't look particularly happy. Mint perked up. Was she okay?

She walked over to the microphone. "Hello," She sounded doleful, as if she was holding in tears. "I'm Idol Wacky, and I'm h-here to play the u... ukulele."

She looked up, her mouth bearing a faux-happy smile which could not cover up the pain of her eyes. But when Mint looked at her, she felt a strange sensation. Her heart started beating fast, like it did when she saw Evan for the first time. Her vision went monochrome, whereas the figure of the green idol suddenly turned red. Mint gasped suddenly, oblivious to the applause around her and the fact that the idol had started playing. Everything was silent except for her own heartbeat, and the racing heartbeat of the idol that she could sense from across the room. She moved her head up and around, annoying everyone around her, trying to get better look. Placing a hand on Evan, she got his attention.

Plinka plinka plink. The sweet, pure sound of the girl's sad ukulele reverberated throughout the room, sending calm energy rippling around the room. Mint suddenly felt very sombre and calm, compared to before. She started to sway. So did Evan. So did the rest of the audience. Together, as the sad girl played her sorrowful tune on the ukulele, the audience swayed and swayed, calmed as their worries dissolved. The sad chords sounded unusual out of the tropical instrument but had a resounding effect on everyone who heard them. Even the manager behind the curtain that Mint could make out, in his crimson suit and sporting violently purple hair, was swaying to the sad tune; it was memorising. But shortly, the concert came to an end, the girl disappeared from the stage after curtsying, and Mint's worries returned. Evan and her waited until the audience to clear out before heading backstage.

There was no guard at the door, so the two of them walked right in. The guy in the crimson suit with violently purple hair was facing away from them; he obviously didn't hear them coming in. With a slam of a door in front of him, he turned around suddenly, and the two heroes could see he was sporting some dark shades. He looked rather disgusted with their presence.

"And just what are you two doing here?" He said in a low, menacing voice. It sunk deep into Mint's heart.

"Hello, sir," Mint said, in a faux-polite voice. "We were wondering if we could see Idol Wacky."

"Sorry kid. She's got another show coming up soon and she's super busy. Can't have visitors right now." He said, looking above her. Evan, being the same height as him, approached him and looked him straight in the eye.

"Listen. We really need to talk to her, it's super important." He said calmly. Then something happened before the shady guy could respond. Something concerning that made Mint and Evan's hearts race.

A high pitched voice sounded from the door behind the shady guy. "Help!" He's locked me in here and won't let me leave! I'm trapped in here! Help me!" It was Idol Wacky! The shady guy's face suddenly turned pale. Mint and Evan were shocked; furious. Astonished faces turned to disgusted faces. The shady guy's face suddenly turned very angry, and he was gritting his sharp teeth. He raised his fists. Mint retrieved her hammer; Evan bore his fists too.

"She's not getting out of here and you two punks aren't gonna live, either!" The shady guy growled angrily. "KYAA!"
___

"KYAA!" The violently purple haired man punched the air, creating a large purple and cyan energy ball which blasted straight at the two heroes. They jumped out the way, the energy ball hitting the wall behind then, exploding. What was that? Was this guy a psychic, too?! Mint didn't feel anything when she looked straight at his face... he couldn't be... no...

"Just who are you?!" Mint shouted, darting out the way of his punches whilst Evan swung wildly at him, missing every time. His mysterious and violent character intrigued her and frightened her at the same time. She took a hard hit to her upper arm and fell down, wincing. Evan helped her up quickly. The girl shouted from behind the door.

"Hah!" The man scoffed, launching himself in the air to evade any form of attack they two heroes might project. "My name? Vapor. And I know exactly who you both are." He placed his palms out again, and the orb of violent purple energy reappeared, expanding every second. "You two have been causing a lot of trouble around these parts - vandalism is a crime, you know." The destructive purple orb flew straight at them. Evan took a bold move and generated some leaves quickly in his palms, and shot them quickly at the orb, causing it to explode right in front of them. The impact of the explosion in the air caused them to fly backwards.

"And kidnapping an innocent girl isn't?!" Evan retorted, fury in his voice. Summoning his strength, he took a deep breath and two shards of rock formed out of thin air. He wielded them in his weathered gloves like daggers, ready to strike. Vapor smirked and looked on, amused by the whole scenario. Evan launched straight at him, trying to stab at him. "Who's to say you're not the one that's split the world apart?!" Evan shouted, striking and striking but all the time missing. Vapor was just too fast. But one of the earth daggers scratched the violent man's skin - he got angry. Fast.

"You have NO idea of the situation at hand!" He said, grasping the afflicted area. Small drops of blood dribbled out of his skin as his face turned violet with fury. "You think you can just use your special psychic powers and save the day, huh?" Using both of his hands, he created an even larger orb of energy than before. Mint got up off the floor, her arm still aching. Evan wielding the shards in his hands, crossing them across his chest defensively. "You have NO idea of the implications of your actions. your Mint raised her hands and new embers - turquoise, white and blue this time - flickered and danced in her palms. Just as the giant energy beam was fired, she dived out of the way, launching the small blue embers at Vapor. His pupils narrowed in pain. The girl shouted from behind the door. Vapor was soon entrapped by two violent blue flames which circled him, a spiritual force rendering him unable to move. He glared at his enemies.

"Just one more should do it...!" He said, and he was right. With one more punch the metallic door swung off of its hinges into the dingy room behind it. The girl, with her coffee coloured eyes and two-toned hair, was free.

"C'mon!" Mint said, grabbing her by the hand, Evan running ahead. "We've got no time to lose! We'll explain the situation on the way out of here!" The girl nodded, scared but trusting, carrying her idol clothes in her bag and ukulele in her hand. Together, the three of them ran into the neon streets of the night. But the fires that were trapping Vapor were beginning to extinguish, and soon he would escape...

The town at night was a lot different from the town at the day, and the newly formed trio happened to be in a very dodgy area. Neon lights flickered in the violet scenery and illuminated against the pitch black sky. Strange gans of people stood around in ominous circles, smoking and drinking and giving out glares to all that walked by. Seeking refuge in a neon-lit cafe far away from the theatre, Mint explained the situation to their newfound friend, who's name was in fact Cayli.

"I'm sorry we had to meet his way," Mint said through a sigh. "But my name's Mint, and I heard your prayer the other night. Evan and I came here to Twinkle Shores to rescue you. But we had no idea that you were in this much trouble."

"It's okay..." Cayli said, exhausted, though energy still resided in her coffee-coloured eyes. She sipped her cappuccino, wary of any purple-haired strangers outside the window. "Thank you so much, you two, for saving me. How did you do it, anyway? That man... Vapor... he's incredibly powerful. He threatened me with something magic, it was like, a glowing purple sphere in his palms. I was so scared."

"Well, Cayli," Evan replied, slightly more lightheartedly. "We're kind of psyhcic too. We've got these really cool powers. I can make leaves and rocks and Mint can curse people with fire." Mint winked, grinning. The sparkle in Cayli's eyes lightened the mood considerably and made Mint smile.

"What?! No way!" Cayli exclaimed, her eyes shining. "You must have really strong magic to be able to beat Vapor!"

"Yeah, well, I mean we're PRETTY strong..." Evan said proudly, his eyes closed and his hands behind his back. "It was pretty easy-" Mint looked over at him with a dull expression, and Evan stopped talking.

"It's taken a lot of practise," Mint said with a smile. "And it wasn't that easy."

"I bet," Cayli said, her mouth in a surprised 'o' shape. Her eyes still glittered as she watched intently. "How could you hear my prayer, anyway? Again, thank you so much for saving me! I have no idea what might've happened to me if you didn't..."

"It's okay, honestly! And I honestly don't know." Mint replied. She thought for a bit, and then looked directly into Cayli's glittering eyes. "I was given a mission to put the world back together - because it's split into zones - and find 4 other kids to help me do it. Evan is the second kid after me. Evan gave a wave. "And I think you're the third one to help us save the world." Cayli looked at Mint in bewilderment, but after a few moments she felt in her heart that it must be true.

"I see..." Cayli said, getting up and looking out the window, away from Mint and Evan. She closed her eyes. "I believe you, and because you two saved me, I'll help you two save the world in the best way I can!" She said determined, and with a bright smile. The two of them at the table cheered. A tired waiter looked on, confused and somewhat amused. "But... I think we better start running." Cayli said, and all three of their faces turned white. The purple haired man was on the opposite side of the street. The three of them darted out of the cafe, Mint first, Cayli second and Evan third. They couldn't stay in this part of the city any longer. And with Vapor chasing them from afar, they rushed all the way to Neon Highway.

After several minutes of running, they finally arrived at the highway, out of breath. It had to have been very late at night by then. The highway was tall, high, red and black, and partially in construction, with one lane being entirely traversable and the other being unfinished work with steel beams and large platforms and cranes. Of course, being nighttime, they were entirely unoccupied with no construction workers. It was lit up with neon advertisements and giant billboards, with advertisements from the city below causing huge splashes of colour within the dim red glow of the buildings around and below the highway. Bright, flashy cars rushed from one side of the crazy highway to the other as the three of them ran towards the other side of the highway on foot. Evan, whilst having a lot of stamina, was low on speed, and Cayli was quick but not as quick as Mint. But they managed to keep up, in fear of both imprisonment and potentially their lives.

They passed hundreds of cars until they reached an underpass. They stopped in there to catch their breath for a bit, the garish LED lights illuminating their clothes and skin and casting them all an industrial yellow hue. They looked at each all, tired and dumbstruck. What an earth had occurred during the past few hours, and how did they get into such a huge mess. Cayli couldn't help but feel a little more than guilty and shuffled her feet awkwardly on the floor. Regaining her breath a little bit, she opened her mouth to speak.

"Do you think we've lost him?" She asked innocently. Suddenly, a blaring buzzing sound resounded from several hundred metres away, louder than the wind rush from any other car. It came closer and closer, to be revealed as a blaring purple motorbike, with an angry purple haired passenger heading right their way. Cayli gulped.

"No, I don't think so," Mint replied, wide eyed. "Run!" They resumed their escape, but it was of little use. Vapor was catching up to them quickly - in a few seconds they could've been snatched up and Cayli could've been taken away again. They started to fun at full sprint, escaping the garish lights of the underpass and back into the bright white led lights of the external parts of the highway. The surroundings seemed a lot quieter now, the sounds of the cars rushing past no longer echoing off the walls of the underpass, clouding their ears with white noise. But the sound of the motorbike was buzzing their way closer and closer every second. Grabbing her friends, Mint hatched a crazy idea and pulled towards the side of the lane which was incomplete - platforms suspended in midair alongside steel girders paved a dangerous way across the unfinished highway.

"Mint, I don't think this is very safe..." Cayli said shyly, looking behind her to see the impending motorcycle of doom approaching.

"Neither is getting caught by Vapor!" Mint said, grabbing her by the arm and jumping onto a suspended concrete platform. "Let's go!" She shouted, as Evan followed suit. They ran across the first concrete platform which teetered and shifted its tilt as they moved. They didn't feel particularly stable. But swiftly with caution, they jumped over to the next concrete platform. Mint dared to look back for a second, finding that Vapor had abandoned his motorbike and was on the first platform, chasing them. Her pupils narrowed and she gulped. There was no time to lose! She grabbed her friends by their arms and pulled them along to a steel girder, about a meter below from the platform. Their weight made it shift in midair - there was a quite a drop to the buildings below the buildings below the unfinished highway and made Mint rather nauseous. Nevertheless they continued along, going as fast as they could across the narrow platform whilst still maintaining their balance.

It was when the three of them made it to the third concrete platform that they were met with a purple shock-wave; Vapor was firing at them! Purple orbs of energy blew up besides them from the left, right and behind, causing them to disregard their balance and simply go on ahead as the platform teetered and swivelled under the pressure. Mint dared to turn around again, and was only met with Vapor's furious face from meters away, grinning his sharp teeth at them menacingly. Every platform they stepped on swung under their pressure and due to the energy balls that Vapor was firing at them. Suddenly, Evan was hit by one of the violet explosions, causing him rolled over to the side of the platform in pain. Vapor smirked mercilessly. Mint gasped and helped him up quickly whilst Cayli stood there, worried. Vapor advanced quickly, but Cayli had a strange idea.

She took a deep breath, urging Mint to step back, and small stars formed in her palms. Vapor kept advancing. The stars twinkled brightly, rivalling the glow of the neon lights around them. Evan and Mint looked at her, stunned. Cayli kept her breathing slow, and the stars grew and grew, causing a bright light in her palms. Placing her palms on her friend, she hummed a high note and light overcame the afflicted area. After a few moments, Evan was complete healed! He got up, gratuitous yet shocked, whilst Mint looked on in awe. Cayli was a healer, and she used the power of the stars? Cayli smiled sheepishly and humbly. But there was no time to celebrate: Vapor had approached them, and was stranding above them menacingly, with a large purple orb of energy held in his two hands. The trio winced as Vapor was about to blast them with his energy, when -

"Enough." A low female voice said from above, as a spotlight shone on the four of them. The crimson shadow of a girl in a loud helicopter loomed above them; Vapor looked up attentively. Her face was hidden. "Retreat for now." She said in her cold voice. "There's no use in chasing them here; we'll attack them another time."

"But Lady S," Vapor urged. "I almost-"

"It's okay. Retreat now, and we'll devise a better strategy." She replied in a slightly warmer tone. Gently, a large ladder unfurled from above. "Come," She invited Vapor to climb. He scowled at the trio, and reluctantly climbed the ladder. Mint watched as he ascended, Evan and Cayli still sat on the floor, bewildered. When he finally entered the helicopter, the shadowy girl spoke again. "Don't think this is over, you three." the ladder was pulled up, the helicopter door closed and it flew away into the inky black night. The three of them, out of breath and standing on a suspended concrete platform in the neon-coloured night, looked at each other, astounded. But they were okay. They started to advanced off the construction site and back onto the stability of the highway.

They all smiled in relief. Cayli was rescued, and the three of them were safe... for now.
____
reminder that i value all of your comments and criticisms so pls post! ;w;

Exhausted, and having checked into a hotel (named Hotel Suisei) after their escape, Mint and Evan were fast asleep. But Cayli was wide awake. The events of the past two days buzzed around her mind as she stared at the star-plastered ceiling. It had to be past midnight by then, with the dim 4am moonlight casting a sense of unreality in the room. Things always seemed slightly askew from the real once it was dark and early in a bedroom. Strange noises sounded that could only be rationalised as alien invasion by a mind at 4am, mixed with the sticky, humid, sheet-throwing-away-causing summer atmosphere made it difficult to sleep and easier for the mind to wander. Cayli took this time to reflect on her adventure so far; waking up in a mysterious sea castle, finding her ukulele, being scouted as a performer and then trapped in a dingy room... only to be rescued by two familiar strangers and escape to the other side of the city... and what were those strange healing powers of hers that made her feel weak-headed and strangely light? And something about being part of a group of 5 kids that are supposed to save the world... it all seemed ridiculous objectively, but something in her heart felt right...

Figuring that she wasn't going to be able to sleep for a while, she rationalised in her head; Maybe if I close my eyes and pray really hard, I'll be able to reach the other two...

She closed her eyes and saw a purple starry expanse slowly ribbon out from the centre of her mind, encapsulating her thoughts in an inspiring, limitless way. She could hear the songs of the ethereal between her ears, as if something from afar was singing to her within her very own mind. In her mind's eye, she look around to find Mint and Evan floating around her in space, still fast asleep. Was this some sort of dreamworld? She tried moving her hands, and after a few seconds they appeared in front of her, lagging behind real-time. She must be dreaming. Yellow stars, looking as if they were painted, dashed around the deep purple globe she seemed to be within.

I'm calling out to you two whom I've never met... She thought, with no words coming out of her mouth. But her sleepy thoughts echoed around the starry sphere, away and back, away and back again. I think we're destined to meet anyway, but...

In a short amount of dream-time that couldn't be measured by anyone with scientific merit, two glittering shadowy figures manifested in front of her mind's eye, one boy and one girl. The boy looked fast asleep, but the girl's shadow looked as if it was staring right at her and facing away from her at the same time. She tried to move closer to them, but couldn't.

Hello? She thought again. It echoed, away and back, away and back. No repsonse... before long, everything was fading to black. But in her heart she knew for sure that the prophecy that Mint told her about must be true. And so, the dreamy wonderland ceased to exist for now, and Cayli finally fell asleep.

The three were relaxing in the late morning sun on the beach near their hotel. It was fairly empty; it was a rather seclusive location exclusive to the hotel, which was rather dated (featuring decor from several decades ago), and there were much better options in the city anyway. The breeze was slight and the warm ocean - sprinkled with small islands - dyed a deep, tropical turquoise. Mint sat upright on the cool grassy ledge just a few meters away from the beach where Cayli and Evan were laughing and playing volleyball. Her warm body didn't cope well with heat and her porcelain white skin didn't exactly cope well with intense sunlight - though she lost her memory she knew that staying in the sun with her dry pale-rosy skin wouldn't end well. But the other two played on, splashing each other with sea water and launching the technicolor volleyball high in the air, and Mint smiled on, happy to finally see her friends - especially Cayli - having fun. They deserved this. The world can wait, kids need to have some free time and relax.

Mint was picking at the jade-green grass and small flowers beside her - trying to construct a daisy-chain - when Cayli came running up to her with a sweet smile on her petite mouth. Her teal t-shirt was speckled with water and her two-toned hair was all damp and wavy and held up in a messy bun. Evan had clearly splashed her quite a bit. Nevertheless, she smiled and plopped herself down next to Mint.

"Hey." She said, her coffee-coloured eyes glittering. Mint looked on at Evan, who was lying on his back in the water.

"Hey." Mint replied sleepily.

"You okay? You sure you don't wanna come out and play with us?"

"Nah, I'm okay. I'm not sad or anything. I just sunburn super easily."

"Are you sure?" Cayli looked on with concern, studying Mint's face. She was too caring for her own good, and Mint didn't want to worry her.

"Ohh, I know what you mean." Cayli replied, her voice softer and calmer now. "Don't you like the tiny starfish and lil' crabbies and those tiny seahorsies and clownfishes and stuff, though?" She pushed her cheeks together to make her lips puff out, imitating a fish. Mint laughed. It was refreshing to see someone so happy after having been through so much.

"Haha, yeah, they're cute. I like them." Mint looked on to see Evan get attacked by a small wave. "But like, the further you go out the more the sea creatures start looking like they came from a strange concoction of hell and outer space." Cayli blinked, and looked beyond Mint, completely taken aback.

"Well, yeah, I guess..." She replied sheepishly, and Mint let out a burst of laughter. Cayli joined in too. Meanwhile, Evan walked up to the two of them, completely drenched, with drops of salty water in his coily hair that made it frizzy and sparkly in the sun.

"Whatcha laughin' about?" He said loudly with a grin, sitting opposite the two girls.

"Your face." Mint said through a smile. Cayli made a sound like 'oooooohh!' as she covered her mouth. Evan scoffed.

"WOW. I can see where I'm NOT WELCOME..." Evan started, pretending to get up and walk away. Mint took his hand and pulled him down again, and he plopped down, rolling his eyes with fake protest.

"Actually, would you guys mind if I asked you both something?" Cayli said politely. "Not to kill the fun atmosphere, or anything..." Mint and Evan urged her to speak. "Well, I know that we're supposed to unite with several other kids and unite the zones and stuff... which I know in my heart is true, but do you know how we're supposed to go about doing that? Like are there some keys or special thingies that we're supposed to collect or are we supposed to physically move the zones together, or like...? It just got me a little bit confused."

"I haven't actually thought about that." Mint replied, staring blankly into the ocean. How did I not think of this?

"Hey," Evan said, placing his hands on the other two's shoulders. "It's okay, I'm sure it'll come to us somehow. Cayli, you're right in bringing this up and I think we gotta find an answer to that problem eventually. But think we should focus on using Mint's ability to reunite the other lost heroes for now." He leaned back, and released his hands off of their shoulders in an excited fashion. "Besides, it's out day off, and I think we should be having fun! Now, who's up for going to Cosmic Tower?" Mint grinned wildly in response, her light blue eyes lighting up like neon. Cayli blinked again, bemused, but the corners of her mouth turned upwards as she accepted their destination.

"Thanks Evan, you always know the right thing to do." Mint replied with a grin, and Cayli nodded.

The large steel-beam tower resided directly in the middle of Glitter City, and was famous for its giant astronomy sphere that lay on top of it. Twinkle Shores was known for its great star-gazing prospects anyway - the glittering heavens were present at any point of the day providing there was no light pollution. And Cosmic Tower provided that neon-free view of the celestial skies above them that was perfect for stargazing. Since the trio had no real reason to be there other than, well, tourism, they took their time, admiring the impressive architecture and the glittering shards on the dark steel that provided support for the giant structure. The tower wasn't climbable, but instead proposed a giant elevator to take them to the top floor. Strangely, the tower wasn't very busy, and the trio walked into the elevator. A nervous looking person with their mouth buried into their green neck-scarf stepped into the elevator with them. They were wearing a white lab coat and didn't make eye contact with any of the, opting to stand in the corner and stare out of the glass elevator walls. Evan and Cayli didn't pay much notice, but Mint watched them wearily.

A woman sounded on a speakerphone, in her dull, monotonous, automated voice. Smoothly, the glass elevator began to rise, and gentle elevator music began to play, a soft, slow piano gently echoing in the glass chamber. Evan detached himself from the group, gluing his face to the windows of the elevator. The structure of the tower, with its dark beams, rose alongside the elevator, glittering and sparkling with technological severity as the ground below them became further and further away. The city was still in late noon, so there was little neon glow, but the streets were yellow and peach with glowing activity, and with every meter rose new parts of the horizon were revealed, the city expanding into the distance until buildings became beach and piers which became ocean. Glitter City seemed to reside on a single island. As they rose higher and higher, smaller islands revealed themselves in their oceanic resting place, and Neon Highway became visible. It seemed much less threatening now, with the highway being approximately a 15cm long in Mint's view, and with every vehicle looking like a tiny, crush able ant. And, of course, there was no purple haired man on a bike, chasing them down the highway as they fled for their lives.

They must've been two thirds of the way up when Mint tried to move away from Cayli, but was stopped. Cayli gripped her arm as a baby might grip its mother's finger, with such a force that Mint nearly stumbled over backwards as she tried to step away. She was positively shaking. When asked if she was okay, she simply nodded sheepishly. Mint decided that it would probably be better to comfort Cayli with her fear of heights, rather than look like a tool and go to the window. She was a good friend after all. Cayli had been through a lot.

As she looked up, she saw the giant purple sphere above them that the elevator was entering. They were nearing the top of the tower. Above theme, the astronomy sphere glittered and waited for them to enter, like a welcoming ball of stars.

The automated woman sounded again. Quickly, the strange man in the lab coat scurried away into the dark violet masses. Cayli stopped shaking. The ground was visible, tangible, and neon. Cayli looked on at the glassy sphere as if she'd seen it before, in a dream. Evan hurried out, excited as a child who's parent said yes to getting ice cream. Astronomy was just So Cool. Mint found it impressive. She saw the lilac tones of the sky around her, and despite it being early afternoon, tiny white sparks lit up in the sky, free from the light pollution from the city below. It was quirky and marvellous. The half-moon looked on at the city, white in the daylight, looking as if it was painted onto the sky. Mint stared at it intensely.

Though, something caught her eye.

No, someone. The strange person in the lab coat was approaching her quickly, bearing a note in their hand. Their eyes averted Mint, as if something was buried in the back of their mind and they were desprately trying to look into their own brain to see it. Awkwardly, they handed Mint the note and dahsed back into the elevator. The note was folded messily, as if it was done in a hurry. Mint unfolded the message, and it read in small green handwriting;

"i know who you three are.
if you want to save the world, please meet my in my lab in suisei islands.
it's on the green island with all the palm trees.
i'll explain everything there."

Mint read it over and over again, puzzled. She folded it up again and put it into her hoodie pocket. After stargazing for a few more minutes, she and her trio departed. It was time to get some answers.
___
sorry this took about 4 years to post

Heeding the mysterious instructions, the heroic trio were back on the beach again, shoes and socks (and tights, in Mint's case) in bags, paddling in the turquoise waves. But of course this time it wasn't aimless wandering - they had a mission to do. The sun shone bright over them as they waded through the clear, warm water. Evan was the only one who was actually concentrating on finding the green island with the laboratory; Mint found the heat overbearing and was feeling too hot to concentrate, and Cayli kept getting distracted by the "tiny lil' fishes" in the water. Brave faced and determined, Evan dragged them along with him as he walked on in front. They waded out the the first of many islands in a chain - "Sort of a very small archipelago, if you will," as Evan phrased it, and after seeing only dumbfound faces in response, followed with "Like a small chain of tiny islands." Cayli and Mint let out small 'ah's.

The water got deeper as they waded towards the first island. Evan and Cayli broke out into a swim, whereas Mint paddled slowly behind, careful not to let her skirt even drag in the water. Evan didn't really care - his clothes would dry off soon anyway - and all of Cayli's clothes were conveniently waterproof. But clothing worries aside, they made it to the first island which was composed mainly of sand and rocks. Immediately, Evan pointed out the green island with all the palm trees on the near horizon, previously obstructed from vision by a boulder. They began to wade and swim out again.

With enough effort and time (Mint still refused to get her skirt wet), they reached the island, lush with jade vegetation and pure white flowers. It did indeed have many palm trees covering the relatively small island, and a very large white laboratory right in the middle. It was a very odd location for a lab; on a vaguely remote and tropical green island, at least a mile away from civilisation and in the middle of the ocean. Mint wondered what kind of research a lab so for out could be used for. It stood tall, casting a large shadow over the trio and looked oddly intimidating. It was plated with large white and grey metal tiles, and covered with vines and tropical plants. Looking at each other and casting expressions of suspicious-ness, the trio pushed open the glass sliding doors into the lab.

There was little lighting in the lab. The air felt damp and cool, as air conditioner blew recycled air throughout the dark grey space. A single light-bulb cast a glow in the far end of the lab, its subtle radiance somehow extending to the far reaches of the dismal building. Strange tubes filled with liquids of questionable colours bubbled and lined the walls. A small robot scurried across the floor. A dripping sound could be heard coming from the far corner. Mint gulped and took a step back, suddenly feeling like she made a huge mistake. She attempted to walk out again, but Evan blocked her, shaking his head.

"Don't worry," He whispered. "Go on ahead. If anything happens, I'll protect all three of us."

"It's okay, we understand." Mint said, changing her attitude to be more brave. For Cayli. "You can keep watch, just in case something happens."

Placing their fears aside, Mint and Evan walked further into the shifty laboratory. There was no echo as they stepped on the metallic flooring. Looking around at the shadows, Mint could see large white bookcases, filled with old, rotting books - she couldn't make out their names in the darkness. She passed by a puddle of suspiciously clear liquid and avoided it. Evan didn't look where he was going and suddenly his shoe started to fizz. Frightened, he shook his foot in the air wildly, then wiped it on a mouldy carpet nearby. The liquid dissolved part of his shoe! Was that a puddle of acid just lying on the floor? Mint disregarded it and they moved forward, reaching the cold, white light of the small light-bulb hanging from the ceiling. They'd reached to the end of the lab. The windows on the wall has been shut and the blinds had been pulled down. Turning around, she saw the glass doors of the entrance casting a blue glow into the lab. The silhouette of Cayli looked back at them and waved feebly. Mint waved back.

"You sure we're in the right place, Mint?" Evan said loudly. "That person did say a lab on the green island with all the palm trees, right?"

"They did." A voice emerged from the shadows, before Mint could reply. An androgynous person with fluffy orange hair and a white surgical mask stepped out from the darkness, their forest green eyes not making any eye contact. Their voice was muffled, and their hands were stuffed into a clean, yet worn, white lab-coat. "I'm Rea. I'm the one who called you here."

Mint stepped forward defensively. Evan raised his fists slightly.

"You don't need to be afraid, I'm not going to hurt you." They said in their almost mechanical voice, injecting itself into the atmosphere. It was of medium pitch and bore little intonations. They looked over to the lab entrance, the blue glow from outside. "And I'm not going to her hurt your friend there either. I want to show you something in the city, something involving your fate."

"Our fate?" Evan interjected.

"You know... like, how we're part of a group of five kids that'll save the world." Mint said. "We know about all that, Rea." Something about this person rubbed her the wrong way, almost instinctively. She couldn't pick out a particular feature that bothered her, but her heart quickened in pace with worry.

"But do you know how to actually save the world?" They replied. Silence responded. Mint and Evan looked at each other sheepishly. "Do you know the truth about Vapor and Lady S?" Silence again. "It's not enough to just gather yourselves together. Come with me, I'll show you something you might find interesting."

Reluctantly, they looked at each other and nodded. They had no other leads.

"What!" Evan said, outright disgusted and rather offended. Rea had lead them through the crowded city, behind some dodgy alleys in the industrial district towards a dingy underground entrance with a flickering neon sign reading 'TRASHWAY' "You think our destiny lies in the trash?!"

"No!" Rea exclaimed, raising their voice for the first time. "Don't be silly! There's something special inside this passage which I found whilst looking for something... uh, that I threw out..." their eyes moved from side to side. The trio were very suspicious of them.

"Um, do I have to go in?" Cayli piped up quietly, pressed her index fingers together nervously. "It's just-"

"Sorry, I don't think you can sit this one out. We'll need your powers to light the way through the tunnel." Rea said.

"My powers?"

"Yes, your powers." Rea affirmed. "Mint has powers of fire and spirits, Evan has powers of life and earth, and you have powers of stars and healing. I know this because of the secret inside the passage. So, can we go in now?"

The others looked on at Rea, astounded. Cayli had no hesitations - she wanted it to be over with - took a deep breath and summoned small stars in her hand, which twinkled shyly and caused the surroundings to brighten. Leading the way, Cayli stepped into the dingy trashway and the others followed close behind.

The passage was grimy and dull, the only light being the harsh white light from the entrance and the warm glow in Cayli's palms. The ground beneath them was was a dull steel blue and seemed to be covered with gross sediment that made a scraping sound when stepped on, and wet with something foul-smelling. In fact, the whole place stank of something unthinkable, rancid waste that had been piled up for months on end, waiting to be collected - apple cores, maggot nests, ominous slime piles... it wasn't particularly welcoming. Mint and Evan pinched their noses shut (Cayli's hands were preoccupied) whilst Rea marched on, ignoring the stench. The walls were all identical - made of large, weathered, grey stone bricks, the only difference being the varying amounts of suspicious liquid that dribbled down the wall surface from pipes at the top of the wall to the disgusting drains at the bottom. Varying amount of bin bags lined the cold walls as well. The air was disturbingly warm for an abandoned underground passage too, and it unnerved Cayli greatly, causing her to slow down. Rea took the lead instead.

"C'mon, the secret is past this corner." They said, beckoning the trio to follow them. They lead the three of them down a passage which was more-or-less identical to the last, except stinkier. There were also ventilation fans which circulated gross recycled trashy air through the passage. None of the three could see the function of them. Curiously, however, the stink became more and more prominent as they carried on to follow Rea's lead, causing Mint to doubt their integrity.

"Rea, are you sure this is the right way?" Mint asked.

"Yes." They said. Suddenly, they stopped. "Don't worry. Though, there is something ahead which you might not like..."

"What would that b- EUGH!"

The source of the stink was revealed - a river of trash and sewage that all mixed together to worm a wondrous brown sludge which slowly ebbed its way across a grimy tunnel. Mint wanted to throw up. Thankfully, there was a rickety wooden bridge to help them across. Rea went first, walking across the bridge with ease, their way illuminated by a yellow flickering light in the distance. Cayli followed, treadling lightly on the wooden bridge, focusing on the small stars in her hands, and made it across with gentle ease. Mint looked at Evan.

"Ladies first!" He said nasally, his hands holding his nose together as his mouth grinned wildly. Mint looked at him un-amused. She crossed the bridge quickly, not wanting to fall in, and managed to kick a plank into the sludgy river a few meters below. However her quickness got her across safety, and only Evan was left. He gulped, and stepped onto the first plank of wood. it wobbled under his strong feet. He stepped again and again, each wooden plank wobbling and wobbling. Suddenly, though, he slipped and fell face forward a few meters. Cayli screamed. Thankfully, there was a an vent in the wall nearest to him, and using all of his might, he crawled into the passageway.

"I'm okay!" He shouted, his voice echoing. "I'll... just climb through this... woah, guys!" He said. Through the vent, something glittered blue and yellow... were they.. gemstones...? "I think I found the thing Rea was talking about! C'mere!" He crawled through the vent and towards the glittering in the distance.

Before him... was a mural! The rancid smell from the sewer had miraculously disappeared, and Evan was greeted with the delight of neutral air. The room he was in was astoundingly different from the sewer - it was a small cavern composed of indigo rock, almost as if it wasn't supposed to be a part of the zone of Twinkle Shores at all. But the mural was awe inspiring and captured Evan's thoughts. Soon, the others climbed through the vent and joined him, staring at the glittering mural.

Made up of glittering stones, the mural told a story; large pictures alongside strange white characters... there was a large blue circle - presumably the the earth - on the left, which then seemed to separate into six different spheres - which were the zones. Evan traces hs fingers along the glittering, glowing gems. Then it depicted 5 small humans - children - one holding fire, one holding earth, one holding a star, one holding water and a final one holding a pink heart. Was that... them?

"That's the depiction of you." Rea spoke suddenly, and the three of them were taken aback. "It says here... the 5 heroes must unite together before collecting the sacred orbs hidden in each zone, in order to defeat the world-splitter and put the world back in its rightful place. It's a rough translation.. but I've studied ancient Chaoese hieroglyphics for a long time now."

"Sacred orbs?" Evan said.

"Wait, what about Lady S and Vapor?" Mint said. "You said you'd tell us the truth."

"Oh, I completely forgot about that." Rea said calmly. "To be honest, I don't know the truth, but I thought it would be useful for you to see this mural."

"Okay... fair enough." Mint said. She soon become entranced with the 5 figures once more. Her heart began to race and her vision went red, like it did when she had a heart link moment in the past. She stared at the boy holding a large droplet of water in her palms, and her mind wondered... to somewhere far away...

...
_______
sorry, i haven't left, im just really bad at keeping up to date